we went through the criminal complaint against 20-year-old christopher cornell, the alleged plotter. ll allegedly viewed members of congress as enemies and intended to attack the capitol. the fbi arrested the ohio man in the apparent isis inspired plot. cornell allegedly wanted to detonate a pipe bomb near the capitol and use firearms to kill lawmakers. let's listen to one woman from colorado visiting the capitol. what's your initial reaction to that? >> i wouldn't expect them to get away with something like that. i'm not surprised it was thwarted. >> reporter: in light of

investigators believe that christopher cornell was working alone. they say he had real intent but that there was never a real

capitol am a gunning down lawmakers and staff, but cornell never made it to the capital. >> christopher lee cornell was planning to unleash jihad on the u.s. capitol, according to investigators. he was arrested wednesday in this ohio than store parking lot after buying two rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. according to this criminal complaint, fbi agents began tracking cornell's movements after he got on twitter as raheel mahrus ubaydah and posted statements and other content indicating a support for isil. he told a confidential source, i believe that we should just wage jihad under our own orders. authorities say cornell and the government informant met a few times this past fall and planned to build, plants, and detonate fight bombs at and near the u.s. capitol, and use firearms to shoot and kill employees. >> mr. cornell is another example of a person who is probably not particularly sophisticated and is reaching out to people that got him caught. >> brad garrett says people like cornell, while deeply worrisome are not his biggest fear. >> my concern is people who fly unde

will appear in a cincinnati courthouse tomorrow. 20-year-old christopher cornell wanted to kill as many people as possible all in the name of isis. his dad claims cornell was a home body who somehow lost his way. >> he had was like a big kid. his best friend was his cat mikey and his mom. >> the fbi arrested cornell after he purchased weapons and ammo from a gun shop. he was under surveillance and at no time were any lives in danger. >>> several sources are saying it's likely that pope francis will be visiting washington d.c. when he makes his trip to this country in september, but the vatican has yet to confirm the d.c. visit. pope francis is confirmed to attend the world meeting of families in philly the end of september, but even without a confirmation an official with the d.c. board of trade says the pope is going to come to washington and also visit new york. we caught up with people near ben's chili bowl and said what do you think the pope should do? >> i think the pope wants to be blessed. he's blessing everybody. he got to get his blessing, too. come to ben's. come to the africa

this picture was taken by someone inside of a store of the arrest of christopher cornell. pamela brown is joining us, and i will speak to the father of mr. cornell in a moment but what does the fbi say he was planning? >> well, the fbi says that christopher cornell from cincinnati was in the final stages of carrying out the final stages of detonating a bomb at the u.s. capitol building and then detonating a bomb on the u.s. lawmaker ss as they ran out. the fbi has been keeping an eye on him after several months of a confidential informant kept them informed about statements that he put on social media about gee mad that he wanted to launch. at one point he told the informant in the criminal complaint that he wanted to murder u.s. officials this in honor of isis anderson. >> and at what point did they believe he posted a credible threat? >> we know that the authorities started to work with this undercover informant in the fall but according to the criminal complaint cornell had communicated with the informant the plan that he wanted to wage jihad under the orders and plan at

we know more this morning about 20-year-old christopher cornell.t brought him to the attention of the authorities and what his parents are saying in his defense. cnn's alexandra field is in cincinnati with the latest. >> reporter: christine, christopher cornell, the plan accused in the plot to bomb the capitol and shoot victims. his name is known across the country, but known in the community. local authorities are telling us he was the lone demonstrator and only protester in 2011. he was apparently holding a sign that said 9/11 is an inside job. today, he is facing serious charges. accused of attempting to kill a u.s. government officer. he will appear in court for a hearing later today. his parents are saying their 20-year-old son raised here in cincinnati did not have the capability or resources to pull off the kind of attack that he is accused of. they believe their son was coerced. >> chris has never been out of cincinnati. i believe he was coerced into this stuff. i believe that this so-called snitch filled his head with a lot of stuff. >> re

we know more about 20-year-old christopher cornell. field in cincinnati with the latest. >> reporter: christine, christopher cornell, accused in the plot to bomb the capitol and shoot victims. he is known across the country, but he was known in the community before that. he was the lone protester at a 9/11 event in 2013. authorities say he caused a disturbance, but not arrested at the time. he was holding a sign which states 9/11 was an inside job. he is facing serious charges attempting to kill a u.s. government officer. he will appear in court later today. his parents are coming to his defense. their 20-year-old son raised in cincinnati did not have the capability for resourcesor resources to pull off a plot like this. >> chris has never been out of submit. i believe he was coerced into all of this stuff. i believe this so-called snitch filled his head. >> reporter: investigators were following cornell for months when an informant tipped them off on the twitter activity discussing jihad. they not take action until he was walking out

his name is christopher cornell. the fbi said he tweeted as raheel, ubida. it appears that someone using that handle did post isis propaganda. also stuff like calling ebola a man-made disease for population control. again, we have not confirmed that these are tweets from that same alias. the account seems to have been disabled. the fbi said christopher cornell chatted online, and later met with the fbi informant who was, quote, cooperating with the fbi in order to obtain favorable treatment in another criminal case. the suspect allegedly talked about his idea for planting pipe bombs around the capitol, described congress as the enemy. he allegedly planned a, quote, move on his plot in december. and then finally, this week, the fbi said that he bought two guns, a pair of semiautomatic rifles like you're seeing right here, and 600 rounds of ammunition. so when he did that, when he armed himself like that, that is when the fbi moved in and made the arrest that we're learning about tonight. officials tonight tell nbc news that christopher cornell never bolt the

. >> a clear picture emerging this morning of christopher cornell close to his parents playing video games. his best friend a kitty cat. his father this morning saying his son was entrapped. >> he was definitely set up. >> forced resignations. >> the agency was, quote, starved for leadership. >> a secret service shakeup. five now out after the white house fence jumper and leadership blunders abound. is this really enough? >>> also indianapolis colts linebacker josh mcnary charged with rape. disturbing new details this morning. what the nfl is doing about it. >>> and the climb of a lifetime. >> feels incredible. >> to the top of el capitan in yosemite. a 3,000 foot climb and the picture of the morning. let's talk. live in the "cnn newsroom." >>> and good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. we start this hour with a failed plot to attack the homeland. the fbi says christopher cornell, a 20-year-old unemployed man from the suburbs of cincinnati planned to set off pipe bombs at the u.s. capitol and then gunned down lawmakers and staff as they tried to escape. t

christopher cornell was found after trying to buy firearms and rounds of ammunition on wednesday.ial media supporting violent jihad. >> reporter: this is the moment that the fbi sweeped in on a man they believed was planning an attack with guns and explosives on capitol hill. christopher cornell, age 20 had gone to buy two semiautomatic weapons, and 600 rounds of ammunition. >> in terms of our cooperation with law enforcement, that's something that we do every day. it's a part of who we are, as a responsible firearms dealer. and so that was not out of the ordinary. the fact that it was something of this scale, we had no idea. >> reporter: christopher cornell had come to the attention of the authorities after an informer had noticed his messages on social media declaring support to the militant group, islamic state. cornell is supposed to have posted on twitter last year i believe that we should just wage jihad under our own orders and plan attacks and everything. the fbi alleged he'd also researched making pipe bombs and had looked into traveling to washington, d.c. he'd also told

influenced by isis. >> thank you, pamela. >> thank you. >>> on the phone with me now is john cornell whose son christopher lee cornell was ar arrested today because of a terror plot. what is your reaction, because he is being charged with trying to make or set pipe bomb ss off in the u.s. capitol and kill people. what is your reaction to that? >> i am devastated. i mean, i'm devastated, and heartbroken at the same time. i mean i mean it sounds so farfetched. you know what i mean. the kid is 20 years old and still lives at home. he had a seasonal job where he work and made minimum wage. you know, he was saving up, and he had a little bit of savings. he had about $1,200 saved up and the gun that supposedly purchased today cost over $1,700 an i want to know where the other $500 came from and i believe it came from i believe are from the fbi. he was turned in by an informant for statements that he made on social network, and somebody facing criminal charges made a deal with the fbi and turned christopher over. >> do you believe a that he was involved with isis. >> heck h no. there is no way that my son was in

. >>> and now a man from ohio, christopher cornell, a recent convert to islam knew what he wanted to do, he recently purchased weapons and sketched out how he would kill employees and lawmakers in washington d.c. karen travers is live. >> reporter: christopher cornell was under surveillance since last fall, he apparently told a government informant that he believes that congress was the enemy and was coming to washington to launch an attack. >> it's what officials fear, a home grown terrorist inspired by iceis this is christopher cornell, according to the fbi he was in the final stages to assault the u.s. capital with rifles and pipe bombs he was arrested after buying two assault rifles like this and 600 rounds of ammunition. >> he came out and they tackled him in the parking lot and took him down. >> was under constant surveillance since last fall. the feds zeroed in on him when a confidential informant came with information that he was posting on twitter his support for isis and al qaeda. he said we should launch jihad under our own orders and attack. >> he cited as giving the up t

a criminal complaint alleges that christopher lee cornell aligned himself with isis. ther tells cnn he could have never carried out the plan. our correspondent pamela brown is in washington with more. >> reporter: the fbi says christopher lee cornell was in the final stages of carrying out the attack of detonating bombs at the capitol hill and accused of firing on lawmakers as they ran out. an informant tipped off the fbi after he made statements on social media. he allegedly told the informant he had been in contact with people overseas and wanted to murder officials in the claims of isis. at one point, the informant said i believe we should wage jihad and plan attacks. the fbi is alleging he took steps toward the goal to research pipe bombs and studying the buildings he wanted to target in d.c. we learned on wednesday he bought two semiautomatic weapons. he was arrested and charged with attempting to kill a u.s. officer. his father tells cnn he is shocked by this and had no knowledge of his son's alleged plot. >> do you believe he was inn involved with isis? >> heck

. >> reporter: the fbi says 20-year-old christopher lee cornell was in the final stages of carrying out his alleged attack of debt thenating bomb at the u.s. capitol building and opening fire on lawmakers as they ran out. officials have been keeping an eye on cornell for months after a confidential informant tipped them off about alarming statements he allegely posted on social media about wanting to launch violent jihad. at one point telling the informant he had been in contact with people overseas. the complaint says, quote, that he allegedly said "i believe we should meet up and make our own group in alliance with the islamic state here and plan operations ourselves." this allegedly was a communication between cornell and the confidential informant and operative. the fbi says from there he began to take concrete steps toward reaching his goal researching how to build pipe bombs and studying buildings he wanted to target in d.c. wednesday he alleged low bought semiautomatic rifles. shortly after the fbi arrested him and charged him with attempting to kill a u.s. government officer, it

christopher lee cornell aligned him with isis. ther said he could have never carried out this plan. correspondent pamela brown is in washington with more. >> reporter: christine, the fbi says christopher lee cornell from cincinnati ohio was in the final stages of carrying out of the attack on detonating bombs and opening fire on law make make makeers as they ran out of the buildings. at one point accord together criminal complaint, he had been in contact with people overseas and wanted to murder u.s. officials in honor of isis. the complaint says some of the communications happened over the summer. one, this is a quote, he allegedly said i believe we should wage jihad under orders and plan attacks. the fbi says after that he began to take steps toward his goal. researchering researching on how to build bombs and he bought two semiautomatic rifles. he was arrested and charged with attempting to kill a u.s. officer. his father did speak to cnn and he is shocked by this. he said he had no knowledge of the plot. officials say he did no

the defendant is christopher cornell who used alias ra him, who is from cincinnati, ohio, and as recently as yesterday, cornell purchased two semiautomatic weapons and 600 round of ammunition with the intent to travel to washington d.c. and kill employees and members of the congress the at the capitol building. then set off bombs in and near the capitol. according to federal documents cornell was sympathetic to i isil and supported his belief over hacks over twitter using alias. this plot began over the summer. cornell met the with the confidential inform apartment he thought to be an accomplice to begin staging this plot. he this talked about traveling to d.c. to survey federal buildings and their security measures. federal document say cornell indicated the members of the congress to go enemies. the the defendant specifically planned that he and informant would built a plant and detonate pipe bombs at u.s. capitol and use firearms and shoot and kill employees in the u.s. capitol. we spoke with patrick meehan by phone a few moments ago. meehan is a member of the the house home land secur

. >>> in a matter of hours, ohio terrorist suspect christopher cornell will be in court.had. on wednesday he was arrested before his alleged plot could be put into action. cameras will not be allowed inside the cincinnati courtroom this afternoon but our alexandra field is covering this for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. we are expecting chris cornell to arrive at the federal courthouse in cincinnati in the next couple of hours. he'll appear before the judge at 1:30 for his scheduled detention hearing. inside the courtroom, his parents are planning to be here. they have not spoken to his son since his arrest but they are speaking out in defense of him. christopher cornell was a high school wrestling star and his parents had hopes for a bright future but he didn't find his path after high school. >> breaks my heart. he had so much potential. he could have got a scholarship. >> reporter: recently there was reason to be hopeful again. >> he became a happier person. >> his attitude changed. he became a lot happier. he said when he prayed he felt calm and

i mean, quiet, shy, good kid. >> the fbi has been looking at christopher cornell since last year. they say he had saved money but he hadn't actually made any bombs yet. >>> this morning a global effort is under way to reduce violence in the world's deadliest country. the u.n. secretary-general is on a two-day mission to set up a human rights office in honduras. the secretary met with the president of honduras to discuss citizen security, drug trafficking and organized crime in the region. honduras has the highest homicide rate of any of the nation. 99% of the murders also go unpunished. >>> president obama renewing the push for paid sick time for millions of working congress. today the president will require companies to offer up to seven days of paid sick leave every year and ask congress for more than $2 billion to help states create paid family and medical leave programs. in addition he'll propose legislation providing federal workers with up to six weeks of paid leave after the birth of a child. only three states, including california, offer paid family and medical leave. >>>

in this country we learned more today about christopher cornell the american sympathizers of the isis terror group who was arrested yesterday for plotting to blow up the u.s. capitol and shoot members of congress. he is being held in an ohio jail and jeff pegues has more on that. >> reporter: investigators believe the 20-year-old considered members of congress enemies. house speaker john boehner says electronic surveillance was used to stop the plot. >> the first thing that strikes me is that we would have never known about this had it not been for the fisa program and our ability to collect information on people who pose an imminent threat. >> reporter: law enforcement sources would not confirm whether the foreign intelligence surveillance act or fisa, program was used during the investigation. it authorizes electronic surveillance overseas without a warrant. his parents say cornell converted to islam six months ago. investigators believe he posted social media messages in support of isis and tried to contact persons overseas for authorization to conduct a terror attack in the u.s. i

investigators believe that christopher cornell was working alone. they say he had real intent but that there was never a real threat against the u.s. capitol. bob, investigators believe they disrupted this plot in its early stages and they say it never made it to the operational stage. >> schieffer: okay, thank you, jeff. all of this comes one week after terrorists in paris attacked the offices of the french satirical magazine "charlie hebdo" that left 12 people dead. today, a claim of responsibility, and bob orr has that. >> reporter: the claim from this top terrorist leader in yemen is absolute. "charlie hebdo" was attacked for lampooning the prophet mohammed. and the murderous rampage was ordered by al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. calling the kouachi brothers two heroes of islam, the speaker said a.q.a.p. chose the target laid the plan, and financed the operation. in an 11-minute video, titled "the blessed battle of paris," the a.q.a.p. spokesman praises osama bin laden and current al qaeda boss ayman al zawahiri. and the speaker claims americ

they say the suspect christopher cornell had been under surveillance for months until wednesday when he was under arrest when they believe this plot was in its final stages. moments after leaving the range and gun shop christopher lee cornell was arrested by the fbi joint terrorism task force. the store owner was asked to cooperate with law enforcement before cornell arrived. >> maybe shy, bashful, talk active. no, no. if i hadn't been warned ahead of time, there wouldn't have been in hint any hint he was involved in anything like this. >> he had two semiautomatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition. he had reconstructed pipe bombs he planned to build, plant, and detonate at ore near the capitol after which he would use firearms to shoot and kill employees and officials. he had been on the fbi radar since last summer when he said he wanted to carry out an attack on u.s. soil in support of isis. cornell was active online under an alias where he posted statements and videos in support of the terrorist network. in an instant message to the informant written in august cornell is quoted a

now the the suspect's name is christopher cornell, from ohio, and we're told he was being watched by p of the confidential informant. cornell reportedly indicated that he considered members of the congress as enemies. man arrested for plotting to attack the u.s. capitol these document have just come in and we are looking through them tonight we will have a full report on "eyewitness news" at 6:00. >>> also tonight suspicious package forced evacuation of the joint base maguire dixon lakehurst, package was found in the commissary exchange complex there but all clear was just given, for the the base. >>> and security has been increased in the delaware air national guard base in new castle, all because several cars, drove up, on monday and tuesday, some had drivers who had asked for directions, others, turned around, without any explanation. >>> delaware county experienced its first fire death of the year after one person was killed this morning in yeadon. the as "eyewitness news" reporter nicole brewer explains investigators are trying to determine that cause. in yeadon delaware county s

they stopped 20-year-old christopher cornell as he was taking the final steps to washington and execute his plan. his plan was to kill employees and officers working in and around the u.s. capitol. cornell's plot was foiled outside this gun range in southwestern ohio. while he allegedly bought two semiautomatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition police were waiting outside to arrest him. >> by that time. the agents had come across the parking lot. two agents were on top of him. two or stlee. >> reporter: court documents showed cornell posted other material online supporting isis. his father said he was a kid who somehow lost his way. >> i believe he was really vulnerable and i believe he was coerced in a lot of ways. >> last summer cornell allegedly told an fbi informant, i believe we should wage jihad under our own orders and plan attacks. lawmakers on the hill are placing the fbi for stopping the plot and they also remain concerned about the growing threat of home grown terrorists. michael mccaul pressed the administration to work your jen gently to counter violent islam islamic atta

agents have reportedly been tracking 20-year-old christopher cornell for months. rebecca cooper has the latest developments from capitol hill. >> visiting the capitol for work today, former marine shane keller noted there seemed to be more officers inside protecting lawmakers than on the streets outside where parking enforcement officials were more visible. noting the capitol is always a tempting target for extremists he wanted to come armed. >> in general, we'd feel better if we had it to protect ourselves. >> you'd like to carry a weapon? >> yes. >> this d.c. resident said she had no qualms of being on capitol hill today. >> i'm fine. it's beautiful. i'm enjoying the sun. life is short. let's enjoy it. >> not worried. >> not worried. >> law enforcement officials report it was an informant that led them to 20-year-old ohio resident christopher lee cornell and his posts on social media supporting islamic radicals and calling for home grown attacks. today, house speaker john boehner credited a controversial n.s.a. surveillance program that allows spying on american

says it stopped christopher cornell as he was in the final stages of carrying out his deadly plan. craig boswell mast has more. >> reporter: 20-year-old christopher lee cornell is scheduled to appear at a federal courthouse in cincinnati friday. the f.b.i. says he planned to attack the u.s. capitol building and kill as many people as possible in the name of the islamist terrorist group isis. his parents say their son is a good person and a homebody. >> he was like s best friend is his cat, mikey. >> reporter: the f.b.i.'s joint terrorism task force arrested cornell wednesday after he purchased two semiautomatic rifles and approximately 600 rounds of ammunition at the point blank firing range and gun shop. >> there wasn't anything about him that would suggest he was involved in something like that. >> reporter: court dowells show he was planning to travel to washington, detonate bombs at the u.s. capitol. then kill as many employees and officials as possible. acts first learned about cornell from an informant who told them cornell was posting pro-isis comments on twitter under the na

no people were injured but a dog died in that fire. >>> christopher cornell is under arrest this morning, cornell allegedly plotted to attack the u.s. capitol with guns and pipe bombs. cornell was arrested after a sting operation. >> your time is 4:49. >> lets check on business. >> money watch's jill wagner joins us live from the new york stock exchange. we're hearing about a division of caesars entertainment filing for bankruptcy. what is this all about? >> yes, that is right, good morning, ukee and nicole. the caesars has lost money, and fighting with lenders over plans to cut its debt. caesars ceo says the casino hotels will remain open and continue to host meetings and event, employees will continue to receive pay, and benefits. ukee and nicole. >> word is business is booming for one woman who is a bridesmaid for hire, what is up. >> if you are planning a wedding and think your bride made are not cutting it, why not hire one. twenty-six year-old jen glance of new york says she's a bridesmaid for hire. she says she handles the dirty work like dress shopping, and dealing with family fe

his name is christopher lee cornell.of ammunition to carry out his plan. fbi agents say he was nabbed as he was about to travel to washington. >>> the main body of airasia flight 8501 has been found. if the divers encounter trouble, crews may lift the entire fuselage out of the water. >>> investigators analyzing the data downloaded from the jet's black boxes to try to begin to piece together the cause of the crash. >>> comedian bill cosby could be facing criminal charges. the latest accuser chloe goines says the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted her at the "playboy" mansion when she was just 18. her attorney say the accusations might be the first to fall within california's statute of limitations. >>> sony pictures announced it will release a special dvd of the controversial film "the interview." it will include 14 deleted scenes seven minutes of bloopers set for release february 17th. >>> i wanted 90 minutes less of content from that movie. i didn't laugh at all. it's really a juvenile offensive movie. to be hones

in order to perhaps help out himself, alerted the fbi to christopher cornell who apparently had been in communication with at least since the past summer, told them about some of the communications he'd had with cornell. so therefore, cornell was put on his radar and then the fbi obviously opened up the investigation. anderson? >> pamela brown, appreciate the late breaking details. joining me on the phone now is john cornell, the father of the man fbi arrested just today. mr. cornell, thank you very much for talking to us. what was your immediate reaction when the fbi arrested your son? >> well actually we heard down on the door between 11:30 and 12:00 this morning. fbi, we opened the door good thing we did. crashed it down at least 15 fbi agents. green township local police here in cincinnati. they asked us. they never really they just told us they had a search warrant and they never gave us the whole information. they wouldn't tell us they said we'll tell you what it's about after the search. they wanted to take me his mother and his brother because we all three live in the same hou

let's face it, we want to identify these individuals like christopher lee cornell who, if he had gone to the capitol with weapons and pipe bombs, right now we would be talking about a terrible tragedy rather than an individual who is detained here and faces the possibility of a life sentence. so it's very important. as you know under the visa program, homeland security are using, they do have to go to court, which is appropriate in order to be able to wire-tap somebody or get information that could endanger someone's personal privacy, and that's appropriate, but there needs to be a balance here. as we've seen overseas you know, these individuals who had gone to yemen and then come back to paris they render some kind of surveillance, but obviously it wasn't tight enough obviously they weren't being monitored close enough and i would just make the point again i made earlier. if they were overseas fighting with isis or al qaeda and yemen or another group with which we're at war they should be detained and not allowed to come back into the country. if they had been detained, those horribl

>> alexandra field reporting. >>> the fbi says christopher cornell under the name raheel ubaydah used social media to plot violence with a co-con spear tore who ended up being an fbi informant. suspects like cornell using twitter has angered british prime minister david cameron. he'll urge president obama to take tougher stands against it. michelle kosinski cnn security and intelligence analyst robert bear and cnn social media expert samuel burke. michelle mr. cameron will try to get the president to pressure thighs americans companies. that's a tall order, isn't it? >> it absolutely is. it's a tall order in america to get certain amounts of information from these companies. they protect privacy and make a big deal of doing so. in britain the government can simply ask certain telecoms to turn over information and records when needed. by law they have to do that. i'm sure britain would love american companies who do business in britain or have clients in britain to do the same. if those american companies were to do that, they would be braking privacy laws in america. right off the bat

cnn's alexander field is following the story from cincinnati. >> reporter: fred christopher cornell willutler county jail. there's no chance for bond here. the judge made her decision noting arguments from the prosecution that cornell could be a flight risk and poses a significant threat to public safety. based on allegations he was plotting to bomb capitol. christopher cornell was a high school wrestling star. his parents say they once had high hope foser a bright future but he didn't seem to find his path after high school. >> breaks my heart. he had so much potential. >> reporter: recently there was reason to be hopeful again. >> he just became a happier person. >> his attitude changed. he became a lot happier. he said that when he prayed he felt calm and he felt at peace with himself and with god. he became just happy go lucky. >> reporter: he grew out his beard and adopted islam after reading a lot about it. and his parents saw signs his beliefs had really taken hold. >> he would come in at prayer time say his prayers. >> reporter: at the same time the fbi says he was planning a dea

christopher lee cornell.nell was arrested during undercover fbi operation federal prosecutors say cornell was plotting to use bombs and firearms to attack the capitol building. the plot was stopped early in its formation. prosecutors also say cornell expressed support online for isis and spoke of plans to commit ax of jihad. we are going to bring you more information on this breaking news as we get it. and republicans are now controlling congress and president obama vowing to fight using vetoes and executive orders. but the g.o.p. fighting back. representative charlie dense saying i'm a member of congress. i'm not a plotted plant. i don't take my orders from the white house. now will republicans have to fight more than just the white house? is president obama teaching congressional democrats not to be team players and look for common ground but rather to up their game against republicans? senator lindsey graham joins us before we get to this issue about the democrats and whether -- what the president is sayin

the fbi agents arrested christopher cornell after he purchased two semi automatic weapons. the authority say that twitter posts were cause for the undercover operation that led to his arrest. his father believes his son is the victim of entrapment. employees at a local business are working in fear after a series of threats both verbal and digital. the constant project comes from individuals who identify themselves as isil militants. stephen tschida has the story. >> the calls have come on a daily basis for five months sometimes several a day. anti-semitic, racist, homophobic rants, threatening mass to structure -- mass destruction torture, and murder. >> sometimes we are very scared, sometimes we are angry. >> they are posted on the internet and phone into the victims over and over again. >> after that, i am going to [beep]. i'm going to bring you. >> look at police handed over the investigation to the department of homeland security, which deemed it not credible and olice. >> i will stab you in front of your work. >> nothing happened until our story tuesday. >> it took fiv

christopher cornell revealed his plans to a confidential source adding cornell was never in a position to execute his plot, sean. >> one other follow-up if i can, catherine. abc in washington is saying that a number of businesses have been targeted in the d.c. area jewish-owned, some racial things they picked up on the internet and elsewhere. what do we know about that? apparently it's been a five-month investigation. >> we know independently in our reporting is that in the last 48 to 72 hours security has been significantly ramped up at federal buildings and other high profile sites here in washington, d.c. and this is part of this broad mix, if you will, not only on social media but threats emanating out of yemen against the united states. >> yeah. and their self-described isis militants. catherine herridge, thank you. >>> joining us now with reaction, author of the rise of isis, a threat we cannot ignore from the american center for law and justice, the president of the billy graham evangelistic association and samaritan's purse the reverend franklin graham and also here in studio f

in an undercover fbi operation 20-year-old christopher cornell was arrested outside a gun shop in ohio where he allegedly bought two semiautomatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammo. prosecutors say he professed allegiance online to isis and spoke of plans to commit acts of jihad. cornell's father says his son was a kid who somehow lost his way. >> i believe he was really vulnerable and i believe he was coerced in a lot of ways. >> investigators say they had been monitoring cornell for months ready to actand that the public was never in any kind of danger. >>> a little relief on the way from the bitter cold, chief meteorologist topper shutt is tracking what he calls a fine finish to the week. >> it really will be a fine finish even though a cold front will come through tomorrow, move through dry. tomorrow night 7:30 temperatures in the low 30s in the suburbs and mid-30s downtown, by 10:00 temperatures below freezing in the suburbs, low to mid-30s downtown. late tonight we fall back to the 20s north and west of town. looking ahead we've got a great time to wash the car or truck, at least thr

. >> reporter: chris investigators took down christopher lee cornell outside a gun store in cincinnatiohio earlier today. they say he used an alias and he was planning to tack the us capitol with pipe bombs and guns. six months of planning and numerous conversations with an fbi inform nant led to the arrest of the 20-year-old christopher cornell wednesday. investigators say he used the alias. agents took him down after he purchased two semi automatic weapons and 600 rounds of ammo from cincinnati ohio gun store. >> when he came out the door, he would have come out who are halfway across here to the wreck the cars are parked. by that time the agents come across the parking lot and two agents were on top of him two or three. >> reporter: according to the federal complaint, his plan was to kill employees and officers workingworking in around the u.s. capitol. he saw congress as his enemy. cornell first came to the fbi' as the tension past summer an informant notified authorities he wanted to carry out an tack in the u.s. in support of isis. message to the informant in august core document

the fbi arrested christopher lee cornell in the state of ohio earlier on wednesday patty culhane hasom washington d.c. >> reporter: we have a few more details because of the court filings in this case, apparently christopher cornell started a twitter feed under an alias a criminal this trouble with the fbi and told the fbi on this twitter feed there were supports supports -- statements in support of isil. where he talked about a plot using pipe bombs to target the u.s. capital building where congress meets phao*ets and then to open fire on them with some automatic weapons. it's not clear that he actually ever built pipe bombs butt fbism says wednesday he moved to an ohio gun store and bought two semiautomatic rivals, 600 rounds of ammunition and that's when he was arrested. it's not clear that this was in fact a plot directed from overseas because he gives conflicting statements. one time saying al qaeda had signed off on it. and goes on to say isil will not sign off on the mission but they want to do it in support of isil. so it's not at all clear that he actually did have contact o

cornell arrested today. christopher lee cornell in cincinnati, ohio for a plot against the u.s. capitol and members of congress. in the newsroom reporting live horace holmes abc 7 news. >> all right, thank you, horace. now, we turn to an explosion that rattled the eden center in falls church. >> what we've learned in the past hour is that three people are being treated for injuries from this. this after an explosion left glass shattered everywhere prompted an evacuation of this popular shopping center. joce sterman has been live on the scene since minutes after that explosion. so joce what have you found out? >> well alison they just moments ago strung up this crime scene tape. and pulled this fire vehicle into place so they can shine a light inside of princess diamonds where we've just confirmed this explosion originated this afternoon. as you mentioned, it left shattered glass all over the shopping center and blew out the front of that store as well as the mall entrance. injured three people who were near and the aftermath of this was captured on cell phone video. >> like you

christopher cornell was indicted on several charges including attempting to kill u.s. officials. police arrested him at an ohio gun shop last week after he bought two rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition. cornell's father says his son was coerced by the fbi and could never have actually gone through with the plot. >>> it is now 6:49. today you can give your thoughts on the proposed school start changes for montgomery public schools. the superintendent is recommending that all schools start 20 minutes later to let your kids sleep in a bit longer. the meetings will be held today at the auditorium of the carver educational services center from 3:30 to 5 being:30 and then 6:30 to 9:30. >>> now may be a good time to refinance your mortgage. there is a surge in applications, up 63% from this time last year. low interest rates are one reason more people are looking for own a home. a year ago, a 30 year mortgage loan averaged 4.5%. today it's down to 3.81%. and even lower for a 15 year mortgage. >>> 6:49 your time. you are already -- you already know google for its an sdwroid operating sys